[4] In the initial stages of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 that overthrew King Farouk, Salim was given the task of commanding artillery units in al-Arish.

As part of his National Guidance portfolio, Salem warned the Egyptian press against "rumour mongering", and threatened to suspend the licences of journalists who "deviated from the upright path.

[1] When Gamal Abdel Nasser assumed the leadership of Egypt in late 1954, following the RCC's removal of Naguib, Salem was dispatched on a tour of Arab capitals, stopping first at Riyadh, where he helped forge a common Egyptian-Saudi Arabian policy of opposition to the British-sponsored Baghdad Pact, and the espousal thereof by the Iraqi government.

[9] In the Suez Crisis of 1956, known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression, Salem is said to have demanded that Nasser hand himself over to the British forces invading the country, as a means of ending the war.

[3] Nasser ordered Salem, along with Abdel Hakim Amer, to Port Said and berated them in front of their army comrades for breaking down during the invasion and opting for surrender.